“I thought it went fairly well. I got my future in-laws out of there without having to draw steel,” Emlyn explains, “No one was bleeding or seriously injured. I only punched the guard commander once to prove a point that punching people does constitute abuse. Even the commander got healed, well, maybe not his pride, but everything else, including his intestinal parasites. He’ll think twice before deciding to re-interpret his orders to mean something other than what’s written on the paper, if he can actually read.”
“You think that literacy might be an issue?” Argonath asks.
Emlyn nods, “I made him give me the orders. When I asked him what they said, he told me something different from what was written in the document. That means either he can’t read them or something else is in play. What he was doing was quite the opposite. It was made clear that they were not to be hampered, abused, or threatened. It was supposed to be a simple question: would they like to speak to a recruiter about a better job in the glamorous city of Harito? His excuse was that punching someone repeatedly wasn’t abuse.”
“That makes no sense,” Argonath agrees, “I did look at them, but not all that closely. I’ll poke around a bit and see what I can find out. If it is a literacy problem, we can arrange to have the new orders delivered verbally instead.”
“Try giving them all a reading test and see how many of them can pass it,” Emlyn suggests, “Some basic reading classes might be in order. I’d also suggest using smaller, simpler words. Instead of telling them not to hamper them, tell them that unless the person poses a threat, they’re allowed into the city to roam freely. Instead of telling them not to abuse them, tell them not to arrest them, punch them, kick them, or harm them in any way unless the person starts attacking them first. I know that many of the raw recruits I got often needed to have things broken down for them, or I’d see things like this.”
Argonath nods, “Those are good suggestions.”
“Thanks,” Emlyn replies, “Kethas was kind enough to send for some of his kin to help out with this thing. They got caught in the blizzard that Atres’s cousins just missed. I don’t want to see a repeat of this with them. That’s a poor repayment for asking them to travel down the mountain in a blizzard. I also don’t want to see anyone who comes to trade in the spring get treated like that. That’s how you permanently alienate a community.”
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“I’m surprised anyone from Clan Rothe is coming to Harito,” Argonath nods, “Clan Mother Nishelli has been particularly adamant about everyone in the clan avoiding cities and almost anyone who isn’t dragon-blooded after that mess in Iridon. If it happens to just one, word will get around to all the clans, just like that nasty business did. How did you manage to get them?”
Emlyn shrugs and gestures to Kethas, “You’d have to ask him. He sent the message. If those inept cabbage herders screw this up, you’ll never get their Clan Mother to relent. If she’s taken that hard of a line for this long, anything untoward is only going to be more proof to her that she’s right. If those dolts give her that proof, probably, her next few successors won’t relent either. You’ll not have another Rothe in the King’s Guard for generations. If this goes well and they go back with good stories, then maybe that changes. At the very least, it doesn’t make it any worse. You might want to impress that fact on whoever manages the guard posts.”
“I see your point,” Argonath agrees, “I just wanted to stop by, buy you a pint, and tell you well done. I’ll see that your bonus gets included in your next pay.”
Argonath sees himself out while Atres beams at her, “Good job. A bonus, even. Those are rare.”
Emlyn shrugs, “I’m surprised that they’ve left us in the same group. The Temple certainly wouldn’t allow it.”
Atres smirks, “Technically, we’re not in the same group. We have the same boss. Your cohort will be your group, and Argonath will be one of the few that runs two groups. I’m certain that they’ll move one of us, sooner or later. I think the prince is hoping to get you under contract before they do that.”
Shrugging, Emlyn grins at him, “That’s not motivation to sign anything any time soon. I rather like having you around.”
Atres gives her a look, Emlyn blushes hotly, and everyone else chuckles.
“We’ve been planning to go poke around the King’s Guard armory a bit more. Did you want to do that today?” Atres asks her, “Or did you have something else in mind?”
Emlyn shrugs, “I suppose we should take a look, but we can do that tomorrow. Atres, your cousins have just arrived. Everyone needs to get to know everyone else, especially if they’re coming to the Taig with us.”
“What’s a Taig?” Oso asks.
“It’s where dwarves come from,” Loket grins.
Confused, Oso frowns, but Henga, laughing, starts to explain. “No, dwarves are more or less like humans in that regard. A Taig is sort of a cross between a cave, a city, a keep, and a mine. We tend to live underground. Human cities spread out, along the surface, but ours go down.”
Otrin looks at the dragon blooded, “I don’t know that we’ve ever had any dragon blood at the Taig. Our artificers will probably want to have a chat or two with all of you. They buy information, and it might even pay well enough to get them to make something for you in exchange.”
“What can they make?” Usurg asks, clearly curious.
“All manner of useful things, most of which use magic of one kind or another,” Loket replies, “You’d have to talk to them to see what they’d be willing to make in exchange for your stories. If you live in a remote mountain village, I can think of a few things they can make that you’d be interested in, but they might have better suggestions.”
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The Literacy Gap: Emlyn realizes the guard commander might be illiterate, which is why he "interpreted" the orders to mean "beat up the newcomers." She suggests a reading test for the recruits.
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Diplomatic High Stakes: Emlyn warns that mistreating Clan Rothe could alienate the dragon-blooded for generations. Clan Mother Nishelli is already looking for a reason to keep her people away from cities.
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The Bonus: Argonath confirms that Emlyn is getting a official commendation and a bonus for her quick thinking at the gate.
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The "Group" Loophole: We learn that Atres and Emlyn are technically under different commands, which is why they haven't been separated yet. The Prince is hoping to lock her into a contract before they have to split the pair.
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Introduction to the Taig: The dragon-blooded cousins get their first lesson on what a "Taig" is—a vertical city-keep-mine-cave. The dwarves are already planning to trade artificing secrets for the cousins' mountain stories.
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The Tall Obstacle Rating: 5/5 Tankards.
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Review: He’s "beaming" with pride over her bonus, and he manages to make her blush "hotly" just by giving her a look. The lad is getting better at this courting business. He’s also the one making sure she stays focused on the important stuff—like family and training.
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Oso and Usurg: They are fascinated by the idea of a Taig. Usurg is particularly interested in what the dwarven artificers can make. I suspect they’ll be trading stories for magical gear before the week is out.
And that’s the end of the scrolls for 121! The "Storm Crow" has her coin, her kin, and a plan for the "Tall Obstacle's" education.
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